Ciiaeles keebison



(No Model.)

G. KERRISON, Jr.

BARBED NAIL OR SPIKE.

Patented May 10 m% WM 2mm as ea FFICEO CHARLES K'ERRISON, JR, OFCHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA.

BARBED NAIL OR SPIKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 362,843, dated May 10,1887.

Application filed February 1, 1857. Serial No. 225,965. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES KnnnisoN, Jr., of Charleston, in the countyof Charleston and State of South Carolina, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Nails and Spikes; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertainstomake and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in nails and spikes.

Hitherto nails and spikes have been provided with one bevel-facedshoulder at the point for the purpose of deflecting its course indriving, thereby rendering its position socure and less liable to beremoved either accidentally or purposely; but some objection has arisento this construction, because there is no means for limiting or entirelypreventing the deflection of the nail or spike, or, in other words, fordriving it straight.

The object of my present invention is to provide a cut nail or spikewhich may be driven either straight or crooked into place, as de sired.

A further object is to provide an inexpensive nail or spike of suchsimilar construction to the nails and spikes in ordinary use that it maybe formed from them with but little change, and one which may be easilydriven in place.

Vith these ends in view my invention consists in certain features ofconstruction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter fullydescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a nail or spike showingimproved barbed end. Fig. 2' represents a section through a block,showing the direction taken by a nail driven straight, and also thedeflected direction of one driven obliquely. Fig. 3 is a modified formof nail with both the shank and point barbed.

In Fig. 1 an ordinary large-sized cut nail or spike is illustrated,having near the point a pair of sharp oppositely-located andlaterally-extended shoulders, (I, beneath which the nail immediatelyterminates in a sharp V- shaped point, the faces of which are lettered,respectively, 6 0. These shoulders or double of the nail or spike.

this nail operates when driven is plain. When driven at a right angle tothe surface of the wood G, as shown in Fig. 2, the nail enters the woodand continues therein in a straight course, the fibers displaced by thenail impinging equally on the faces a 0; but when driven in the wood atany other angle than a right angle the resistance is necessarily greateron one face than on the other, hence deflecting the course of the nailin the direction of the least resistance, bending the nail-shank as awhole graduall y, but not breaking it, and the upper barb or shoulderhooking, as it were, around the fibers of the wood above, while theopposite barb or shoulder guides it and acts as an additional means ofholding the nail in place.

In the modification shown in Fig. 3 the shank of the nail is barbed,having the downwardly-extending notches 7t and upwardlyextendingshoulders or barbs 7;, so that when this nail is driven into place, inaddition to the hold of the barbs at the point, these lateral barbsassist. I

It is evident that slight changes might be resorted to in the form andarrangement of the several parts described without departing from thespirit and scope of my invention; hence I do not wish to limit myself tothe particular construction herein set forth; but,

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A cut nail or spike having a plane body and a Vshaped point, theinclined faces of which diverge beyond the body to form twooppositely-extending barbs.

2. A nail or spike having a uniformly-tapering body and a V-shapcdpoint, the inclined faces of which extend outwardly beyond the body ofthe nail to form two oppositely-extending barbs.

3. A nail or spike having a body of constant thickness and uniformlydiminishing in breadth from the head, and having barbs which extendoppositely from the parallel faces of the body, and which are tapered toform the V-shaped point of said nail or spike.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

o. KERR-ISON, JR.

Witnesses:

I. P. De VEA'UX, J. H. PERRINE.

